FIFA accuses UEFA of smear campaign as fight over World Cup plan documents escalates

FIFA has turned a dispute over an abandoned World Cup investment plan into an open legal and political fight with UEFA. In filings to US judges, football’s global governing body called UEFA’s document requests “little more than press releases” supporting a “smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership.”

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Little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership.

UEFA asked courts in three US states last week to force FIFA and its partners to disclose records related to the plan, including correspondence involving FIFA President Gianni Infantino and prospective lead investor Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital. UEFA says it wants the material for a possible complaint in Switzerland over alleged “criminal mismanagement.”

FIFA’s response says UEFA has no right to demand internal documents because no criminal proceedings currently exist in Switzerland or elsewhere. The filings also argue that UEFA would lack legal standing even if proceedings did exist because it suffered no financial loss. FIFA accused UEFA of bypassing Swiss courts by applying directly to US courts and warned that disclosure could threaten its interests and reveal sensitive, proprietary information.

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Shady, opaque backroom deal

The proposed plan, unveiled in July, would have sold stakes in the World Cup to investors. It provoked a backlash across football, with UEFA threatening to boycott the tournament unless FIFA abandoned it. FIFA quickly scrapped the proposal, but UEFA is now preparing a possible legal challenge against Infantino, who had been seeking a fourth and final term without opposition next March after a highly successful World Cup.

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Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding, or demanding, power to be held.

UEFA has described the proposal as a “shady, opaque backroom deal.” It has also found support from CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani is widely viewed as the most likely challenger to Infantino, while UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has ruled himself out. The three confederations recently issued a joint letter warning that football leadership should serve the sport rather than function as “an instrument of individual power.” FIFA has repeatedly rejected those accusations.

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FIFA must once again be governed as an institution serving football, not operate as an instrument of individual power.